The Eye of Chaos
by coris
Summary: AU. Cardcaptors gang meet in RO. Eriol is sent home from school because of his raging fever. During which he dreams of another world. Little does he know that he is more connected with it than he thinks.
1. The Omen

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.

**Chapter 1 - The Omen**

Eriol had been sent home early from school from a raging fever. He hadn't wanted to come home so early since the whole school was preparing for the winter festival. It was probably one of the most looked forward to events of the year. Each class was in charge of one event, be it a haunted house, a play, an exhibition or a shop of sorts. His class have opted for opening a cafe and they were just getting ready with the preparations. Their cafe was designed by a fellow student to look very classy and elegant and the class was divided into three teams, the cleaning staff, the waiting staff and the cooking staff. Eriol was a part of the waiting staff. He had personally wanted to be in the cooking staff but the president and the vice-president of the class banned him from it and had put him in the waiting staff against his wishes.

"You will be part of the waiting staff, Eriol, it will boost our sales." said the business-like class president, pushing his glasses back to where they belong. "We need to win the prize money in order to promote a better vacationing spot next activity week." piqued the vice president seriously. Eriol peered down at her. Their vice-president was probably the smallest person in the whole school and yet she has a way of making people listen to her and bowing down to her commands.

Eriol was good looking but he was neither the hottest nor the coolest guy in school. There was something more than his looks that attracted the girls though so wherever he went in school, he was always accompanied by a small group of fans following behind him. This something, unfortunately, had made one of the most popular girls in school infatuated with him. She was a girl he did not care for so he turned her down. Surprisingly, this little incident had skyrocketed his reputation to Eriol's annoyance. He was the type of guy who would rather be by himself than with other people. He liked to watch and observe things happening around him but he never wants to be a part of it.

The sky was dark and murky, lashing out at Eriol with chilling winds and stone cold rain as if they were angry with him for going home early. Reaching home, he slowly opened the iron gate, feeling dizzy and nauseous. His eyes were heavy. Staggering forward to the front door, he outstretched his hand to grab the doorknob and missed due to the fact that he was seeing double. The fever must be getting worse. He looked for his keys, glad that for once that he couldn't be followed home. After a lot of fumbling and mistakes, he finally found them in his pocket and attempted to open the door. He held on to the doorknob to guide his hand with the key but he missed and dropped them. Bending over to pick them up, he felt a rush of dizziness and blacked out. Upon waking up, he found himself wet, hungry and cold lying on his own doorstep. He picked up his keys and tried again. This time he opened the lock with less difficulty and opened the door.

The house he had entered was simply but cozily furnished. The walls were painted with a light yellow paint that shone even brighter when sunlight hits. Without the sunlight, the room looked dull and dead, leading him to eternal darkness. The floor was covered with wooden floorboards that were darkened with shadows. He trudged on the purple welcome mat before remembering to take off his shoes. He wobbled through the hallway until he reached the landing of the stairs while dragging his backpack along, dripping wet. Looking up the stairs and groaned. He didn't ever remember the stairs ever being this long.

Slowly, drenched and weak, he made his way up to the second floor. He had let go of his backpack along the way without knowing it. His mind was now only focused on one thing, getting to his room. The yellow painted walls seemed eerily menacing and seeing double didn't help him much at all. At long last he reached his room.

Eriol's room was a fair sized attic room, with one of the walls slanting down meeting the normal straight wall half way in between. Although his room was also covered in hard wood floors, he had two rugs on the floor, the big oval one sat under his TV and beanbag chairs and ends just before his bed. The other one is a smaller one and it sat between the desk and his bed. His desk was in the far right hand corner, his dresser was right beside that, and both of them had the same shade of brown. The television was right in front of him sitting on a small metal stand with two shelves, the VCR was sitting in the shelf underneath it and his Playstation 2 was sitting beneath his VCR. He plopped down on his beanbag chairs in front of his TV, unable to walk any further. He cursed himself and got up again, determined to change into dry clothes before he slept.

How he got into them, he didn't really know but he wasted no more time and scrambled into bed with his hair still wet. He could care less now but it will probably dry when he wakes up. Burrowing under his covers, he could feel himself burn hotter still, if that was humanly possible. Panting heavily now, he sees a blurry puff of smoke rising lazily into the air from his mouth. If he had more strength, he would have tried to catch it in his hand. He was pretty sure that he was delirious, but that puff of his breath had looked like, like-

Eriol had fallen into a deep, deep sleep.

---

AN: This is my first story. I hope it's not too bad.


	2. Before the Storm

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.

**Chapter 2- Before the Storm**

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A young page called out, running at top speed. A middle aged man with a golden crown sitting on his silver grey hair turned from his crowd of advisors and sighed. This young page had a reputation for making a big deal out of nothing. Still, it was his job to listen and he will do just that, even if it's only to stifle his craving for something out of the ordinary. The young page ran out into the grand hall and onto the red carpet, scarcely tripping over its golden rim. The usual splendours of the Grand Hall that made him stop and stare in awe were all forgotten today. To think that he, the youngest page in the palace, would have a chance to relay what was to probably be the most important message in his life. With his pride swelling up, he rushed up to the king and saluted. With one knee on the ground, he cleared his throat and belted, "Prince Syaoran is back!" His voice resonated thoroughly through the marble hall. He listened with a satisfactory grin, knowing that he made a difference today with such happy news. King Tristam III, as that was his name, was ecstatic. Quickly he left his group of followers and sat down in his royal throne full of anticipation. He raised his hand, palm up, signaling the young page to stand.

"Tell me, my good man, did he come back with a bride?"

The noise in the room died down. Every man and woman in the room was leaning slightly forward to hear the young page speak. It was a custom here in Prontera, that the prince must go out into the world and make his living when he turned 18. He was to come home a month before his 21st birthday with a bride or else relinquish his throne. This custom has been passed down for generations because the Pronterans believe that the kingdom is an extension of the family and if the Prince cannot find a bride by the appointed time, then he is seen as unfit to rule a kingdom. He will be viewed by his people as "the Prince who is useless". If he does now know how to maintain a family, how could he take care of the whole kingdom?

The young page being too young to understand this custom did not see the weight of this question. Any one older would have turned green at this question. "Unfortunately, no, Your Majesty." Seeing his King's face falter to such a degree that it scrunched up. The King was making such a face that it hurts the young page's eyes to look at. It took a moment for King Tristam III to recover himself. When he did, he waved his hand at the young page, signalling him to take his leave. Realizing that he has disappointed his king, he sadly saluted and stepped off to the side. Little did the young page know that in what he thought was his three seconds of fame turned into the whole kingdom's shame. The King sighed and raised his hand to one of the royal guards, "Summon Prince Syaoran." He said in a resignedly.

The guard saluted and went out the big double doors at the end of the hall. Though the doors closed behind him and the people of the court could still hear him yell, "King Tristam III calls for Prince Syaoran!" They could hear the next guard repeat after him and the next after that. After a while of all this yelling, peace was finally restored. A low murmur had risen from the people of the court. The young page that was standing amongst them could feel the underlying tension and fear, as they wondered about the uncertainty of the kingdom's future. The young page could not take this insult and went up to the group standing closest to him and said angrily, "The custom only says that the Prince must be married on his 21st birthday. There was still a month before his birthday, there is still hope."

That group of people did not take to being talked to like that by a mere page very well. Nonetheless, they were too civilized to engage in a squabble with the young page. They simply turned their heads and walked away. That very statement of the young page, however, has not gone unnoticed by the King.

"Come here, my boy. What is your name?"

"Jimmy, Sire." The young page felt honoured having occupied the King's attention. He saluted again.

"Jimmy. You believe in your Prince, do you not?"

"Yes sir." Jimmy answered solemnly, not in the least afraid of what the others in the court may think.

The King smiled a kind smile and twirled his grey beard with his fingers thoughtfully. "So do I," he began slowly. "So do I. Your loyalty will prove to be invaluable. I believe I may have come to a solution to help the Prince with your help." The King's kind smile had turned into a confident smirk. Whatever he was thinking about, it was giving him great pleasure. The people of the court shuddered, they knew this look only all too well and it usually means that their workload had just more than tripled.

Just then, one of the guards standing guard outside the Grand Hall came in. "Announcing Prince Syaoran."

The grand hall was hushed with silence at once and heads in the court turned with great anticipation. A handsome young man had walked into the room, grinning from ear to ear. He walked up to the king. "Hey old man," he said affectionately. "Looks like I've finally made it, alive and well." He walked up to the throne and wrapped his arms around the old King. The King pulled back to take a good look at his son. His sandy colored hair was a bit longer than he remembered. The King stood up and looked up. He was certainly taller and bigger than when he left. He nodded to himself, thinking, yes, this is the way it should be. Finally, gazing into his son's eyes, looking into the depths of his heart. His son's serious but kind eyes were the only things that have not change. They still crinkle at the edges when he smiled. Putting his hands on his son's shoulders, he let his happiness overwhelm him. "Welcome home, Syaoran. Welcome home." Feeling unusually cheerful, he called out to his subjects. "We must celebrate your return Syaoran. We shall have a feast." The King was now in his element, feeling that he should spread his happiness. "No, that wouldn't do. We must have a ball, this instant! Get the musicians! The cooks and the servers! We must invite the whole kingdom to attend!"

Prince Syaoran watched his father with an amused grin on his face. "You haven't changed one bit, old man." Syaoran had spoken so softly that no one heard him. His father turned to him and asked, "Did you say something Syaoran?" Prince Syaoran shook his head. "I said that there is no way you can prepare for something as big as a ball today. We might as well do it at the end of the week and give the servants sometime to organize this. Besides, I think I want to settle down a bit first." Yelling over the ruckus that his father had caused was no easy task, but it worked. The chaotic scrambling about has ceased. Prince Syaoran let out a sigh of relief. "You really should think things over before you say them father." Then turning to the rest of the court, "Thank you all for taking care of my father while I was away. There were probably times when you wanted to strangle him because of his unreasonable demands. I know I have." Nervous laughter filled the room but the prince was not finished. "Thank you for your patience and for sticking by him. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know that you are all weary of the fact that I haven't brought home a wife but let me reassure you, I plan to find one at the ball. So please, lets all work hard together and make this ball a success. The future of the kingdom is in our hands, so let's make the most of it. Oh, and as a token of my appreciation for each and every one of you, once the ball is underway, you are all free to come and take part in it. It is your ball even more so than mine."

King Tristam III is practically glowing. His son has really grown into a man and he had caught the hint of the ball very quickly. The tension in the room had died since the Prince himself, have addressed the issue that was nagging them at the back of their minds. It was a great relief to the court to hear such words. Prince Syaoran had always been popular within the Kingdom and he had today, shown them what he was capable of. He had, with that short speech, caused them to forget their worries and gave them something to look forward to.

For the next few days, everyone in the Kingdom was bustling with anticipation. Not just the servants in the palace who were in charge of the decorations and food, but the town folks as well. The contents of the speech had leaked onto the streets. Every woman or girl living in Prontera scrambled for the Kingdom's finest fabrics and made for the finest dressmakers in town. This was a chance nobody wanted to let go of, the rich or the poor. To become royalty was a part of every woman's dream. And so the palace went on cheerfully with the preparations, while the townsfolk went on with the same cheerful countenance but more frantically.


	3. Sorceress of Geffenia

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.

**Chapter 3 - Sorceress of Geffenia**

The night before the ball, when everyone in the palace was fast asleep, a lone stranger on horseback came knocking at the iron gates. Luckily, the one who was standing guard at the gates was none other than Jimmy, the young page. Jimmy was standing in for one of the palace's royal guards, but because he wasn't used to staying up so late, he is currently sleeping. The cloaked stranger seeing Jimmy in such fitful sleep with drool on one side of his face couldn't help but let out a chuckle before putting their hand softly on Jimmy's shoulder and shaking him gently. Jimmy slightly aroused from sleep, "Wha-?"

The stranger smiled. "I request an audience with your King." The stranger's voice was feminine and serene. Jimmy squinted at the stranger in the dark. It was indeed a girl, though he couldn't see her face very clearly in the dark. She spoke again. "Will you take me to you King?" She was courteous and sincere. Even though they had just met a few seconds before, he couldn't help but like her. But remember his duty once more, he asked her, "What is your business with the King?"

"It is urgent. Please hurry."

Jimmy's curiosity stirred. "You came to marry our Prince?"

The stranger laughed and her laughter was definitely music to his ears. Without waiting for an answer from her, he opened the gates and led her inside. He told her to wait in the waiting room so that he could go and get the King and left her without another word. Once out of her sight, Jimmy ran like he never did before through the stone corridors. When he got there, he threw open the doors to the King's bedroom and loudly exclaimed to the King that he had a visitor. The King, having been woken up from a very delicious dream of eating candy canes was angry at first, but it had subsided as quickly as it came when he heard that the visitor is here to marry the Prince. Thinking that his son had purposely hid this from him, he told Jimmy to wake up the Prince and join him in the grand hall to meet her. Jimmy left in a hurry to carry out his orders while the King quickly threw on his royal garb. In his haste, he had forgotten to replace his nightcap with the crown. When he got there, Jimmy was already there standing beside the Prince. Syaoran grinned when he saw his father's nightcap, faked a coughed and pointed to his head. Feeling slightly embarrassed at such a mistake, he quickly got up from the throne, and produced a substitute from underneath the chair. "Jimmy, summon the girl."

"Glad to see you can make it, son. I knew you were fooling us when you said you haven't found anybody yet." He grinned a very wide grin. The Prince said nothing. The truth was that he really hasn't found a girl to marry. He was curious about this girl though. From what he heard when he questioned Jimmy was that she came to marry him, he had no doubt that she came for something else.

After a short while, Jimmy came through the doors of the marble hall, holding one of the doors open for the stranger. "Announcing, the..." He paused, remembering that he had forgotten to ask for her name. "Sakura." She came to his rescue with impeccable timing. "Sakura Kinomoto, Sorceress of Geffenia."

"Geffenia?" muttered the Prince. He had heard legends about that place. It goes back to the times when Glast Heim was still a flourishing kingdom about a thousand years ago. The war between God, humans and monsters had left Midgard devastated. It left Glast Heim in ruins overrun by monsters and the magical Kingdom of Geffenia lay forgotten. The city of Geffen was rumored to be built on top of it but no one knows for sure. Nobody ever found its entrance.

The stranger in front of them finally took down her hood. Her flowing brown hair and wide green eyes were captivating. He pinched himself. It was the only thing he could do to stop himself from staring. Her smile was so alluring, that he found it hard to get over her looks. In that minute, he had decided that she was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever saw and that was saying quite a lot.

Prince Syaoran didn't travel these three years for nothing. Besides all the battles and all the wars that he had fought, he had never once forgotten his ultimate goal: to bring home a wife. He had travelled far and wide just for this alone and yet wherever he went, he found the girls strangely lacking. What were they missing? It a question he never could find the answer for. So whenever he was in the presence of a girl, his heart would tell him to stay away but as he is in Sakura's presence, it stays silent.

Finally able to put a stopper on his thoughts, he asked her what she came here for. Her face changed into one of anguish and fear. Walking up to the throne, she saluted the traditional way, with one knee of the soft red carpet and her right hand clenched in a fist over her heart. She told them her worries.

"Our Kingdom, Geffen, is in grave danger. I am here to plead for your help. A great evil has unleashed Arc Angelings and its minions outside our city. We do not have enough skilled forces to fight it. I beg of you, please help us!"

"Of course, my dear." The King got up and helped her to her feet. King Tristam III has lived up to his name yet once again in being the kindest King in all of Midgard. "Tell us exactly the situation Geffen is in."

"If you have been to the city, you would know that there were four gates in which you can enter the city with. Each gate is located on the walls facing north, east, south and west respectively. At first, the arc angelings and their minions just hung around the east gate. We have sent many troops out to fight it, but that was no use, one was hard enough but four." She let her voice trail off. Letting all the information she had just relayed sink in. Then taking a deep breath, she began again. This time the pain in her voice increased.

"Our troops got smaller and smaller each day, while the numbers of minions increased. What's more they have separated and are found in front of all our gates. Our forces are no more. We do not even have the power to take care of one arc angeling. The situation is now is dire. Nobody can come out and nobody can get in. Our food and supplies are dwindling each day. All our forces have withered, they have no more will left in them. The walls of Geffen will not stand much longer, we must go to their aid at once."

"Calm down, my child." The King's kind eyes had some effect. "That's right," Prince Syaoran was also more than willing to help. "You must rest now. There isn't anything more you can do today. We will send scouts to examine the current situation. Just leave it to us." Hearing Prince Syaoran's voice, she walked over to him and saluted him as well. "Prince Syaoran. Your name far precedes you in the land of Midgard. There isn't a child who has not heard of your name or of your great feats. Our princess wishes for you to lead the troops into battle, she believes that only you can save us now." She hesitated but decided to go on. "Our princess has also said that if you were to save us from this crisis, you will be welcome to choose any maiden take to home with you to be your bride. Herself included." Hearing these words, the King jumped with joy. There was no need to worry anymore. The Princess of Geffen is a real beauty if the rumors prove to be true. His son will not be able to resist her. Feeling tired all of a sudden, he decided to leave the two people to work out the details themselves. If his son was taking care of the matter, there was no need for him to be worried.

Once the King left however, the situation took another turn. Now that only the two of them are left, the Prince let his thoughts overtake him once more. He found himself distrusting this beautiful night traveller the more he thought. Geffenia? That was not possible. Nobody has found the entrance after the Great War for the past thousand years. Why would she announce herself with such a name? It was bound to arouse suspicion. Then he paused. Did I just think she was beautiful?

Suddenly, he realized that she was staring at him and for some strange reason, it made him blush. He quickly averted his eyes, not knowing what to think. Wait a second. He took another look at her face. She was looking at him quizzically. Have I seen her somewhere before?

"Erm, your highness?" she said it with such a sweet voice that Syaoran thought it could lull bees to make more honey. "If you do not need me anymore, I should very much like to go to sleep."

Not wanting her to leave just yet, he asked her the first question that came to mind.

"So you're from Geffenia?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible?"

"Excuse me? What do you mean?"

"Everyone knows that Geffenia is a lost city underneath Geffen. Nobody has found the entrance to it for the last thousand years. It that not true?"

"Do you not believe me?"

"Its not that I don't believe you, I just want to know the truth."

"I am telling you the truth."

"No, you have not!" This was definitely not the sort of conversation he had in mind but he was heated enough to continue it. "Who are you?"

"I told you the truth!"

"That's not good enough. I know for a fact that you couldn't have come from there. I've been there and seen it for myself. There is no way in. For all I know, you could be an assassin trying to kill my father!"

"If I was, I would have done that when he was here!" she retorted

At those words, Prince Syaoran yanked her towards him and shook her hard. "Don't you dare hurt my father." He said silently but vehemently. His senses were being overwhelmed by his emotions that he did not even realize how much strength he was using.

Sakura squirmed in his grip.

"You're hurting me!"

He instantly let go of her.

"Sorry," he muttered. But it was already too late; the damage was done.

Sakura, rubbing the bruises on her arms, shuddered. She had never been so scared in her entire life. She wanted to just run out of here and never set foot in this damned place ever again. But the thought of the kingdom, her home, in peril was more important than her fear. With tears waiting to burst, she had to ask one final question. Looking at the Prince, she asked, "So will you come to our rescue?"

The shock of seeing her about to cry had humbled Syaoran a bit. "I never," he said coarsely, "neglect those in need. You may depend on it."

This little episode had left both Syaoran and Sakura quite disconcerted. She had run out of the hall at once after hearing his answer, feeling degraded and offended. He, on the other hand, felt very guilty. He could still feel her slender arms in his grip after she had left, not letting him get any rest that night.

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AN: Well here is the next bit. Thanks for those reviews. I really appreciate it.


	4. The Ball

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.

**Chapter 4 - The Ball**

In the morning, things were looking a little bit brighter. The King had sent several scouts to Geffen for more information last night. They were not expected to be back until late tonight. Sakura had no choice but to wait for them to come back, since it is too dangerous to go unprepared.

Syaoran, who had barely slept the night before, decided to take a stroll in the forest outside of Prontera, reminding himself to take a couple of deep breaths of fresh air to clear his mind. He really liked the wilderness and on this side of the Kingdom, there was also a beautiful view of the sea. He took his favorite path along the cliff, watching the waves leisurely rolling in and out and the seagulls fishing lazily. It had a calming effect. Up ahead was his favorite spot under the elder oak tree. It always provided him with a soft breeze and shade. Like an old friend, it had stood by him through the good and the bad. As he tore himself away from the lulling waves of the sea, he stopped short, seeing that someone had already occupied his favorite seat.

Sakura turned to him as she heard him approach. In silence, they sized each other up, wondering what the next course of action should be. Imagine Syaoran's surprise when Sakura scooted over a bit, showing that she was willing to sit with him. It's a start, he thought. He walked over and sat down beside her. More silence. Feeling that he must rectify this situation somehow, he turned to her. She was however, a bit shyer and looked like she was about to run but she stood her ground. He grabbed her arm, just in case. "I want to apologize for what happened yesterday. I let my emotions get the better of me. I am sorry for treating you in such a low manner. I hope you'll forgive me."

Sakura blinked. She had thought that he was going to give her a lecture or call the guards on her or something. Looking closely at his face, she could see no signs of malice. His face was sincere and he really did look like he was regretting what he had said. Her resolve to hate him had melted a little and reason melted it a little more. She needed to work well with this man if she was to save her homeland. "It was not completely your fault, your highness." Sakura started, feeling a little lighter. "I was partly to blame as well, I have also let my emotions get better of me."

"It was getting late, and I was tired." He searched her face and asked again, "You will, forgive me then?"

She nodded unable to trust herself to speak. In truth, he had hurt her feelings much more than she anticipated. It was not the first time that people have said this sort of thing to her and it never really bothered her much. She wondered how she could let a guy she just met affect her so.

Prince Syaoran, seeing her nod, could have jumped five feet into the air. The suffocation that he was feeling this morning had completely dissipated. He quickly jumped up and yelled loudly towards the sea. It had startled Sakura. Syaoran couldn't understand how his emotions could be changed so quickly. He had forgotten his reasons for not trusting her from the night before. All he could make sense of is that it is she, Sakura, who had excited this change in him. This invincible feeling that he has is swelling up inside him, making him all warm. Smiling radiantly now, he stuck his hand out.

"Friends?"

Not knowing what the Prince is so excited about but at the same time being infected with his enthusiasm, she laughed for the first time since she got here and took his hand.

"Friends."

The warmth of his hand encompassed her body, making the warning bells inside her head ring furiously. These bells however were not heard because at that time, Syaoran was so happy, he entreated her to jump off the cliff with him and swim. Without even waiting for her answer, he picked her up in his arms and jumped. She had, just at that moment, forgotten everything except the part about plummeting down to the sea. Clinging on to Prince Syaoran for her dear life, Sakura couldn't help but scream at him.

"You're crazy! We're gonna DIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!"

But he just laughed and held on to her tightly. Feeling her arms tightening around him, he looked at her. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he whispered into her ear. "Trust me."

They hit the water and went under. Sakura was the first to break the surface, gasping for air. Treading hard, she looked around for Syaoran. She couldn't see him anywhere. Panic stricken, she decided to go under to look for him. She counted to three under her breath and went down. She sank for a couple of centimetres when something her dress had caught on to something. She struggled with it, but it did not budge. Funny, she thought, she didn't remember seeing anything that could ensnare her dress. With no other option in mind, she went back up. Breaking the surface for a second time, she was surprised to see it was Syaoran who was holding her dress.

"Did you lose something?" He grinned.

"You, you freak!" Sakura socked him one in the stomach, but because it was under the sea, the punch didn't carry any weight. "I thought you were in trouble when you didn't surface after a while!"

This had made Syaoran even happier than when they were on the cliff. He found himself unable to stop smiling like a fool. Sakura, on the other hand, just got even more frustrated. "What's with that smile? Are you mocking me?"

Syaoran put his hands up. "No, no, I'm just happy." He was still grinning. Unable to understand him, Sakura just decided to change the subject. "How do we get back on land?" She had a right to be worried. The edge of Prontera was littered with cliffs. There was not a beach in site and there won't be one for miles.

"Don't worry," Syaoran said happily. "There's a hidden cave somewhere in these parts of the cliff which leads up to the dungeons of the castle." Syaoran scanned the cliff line. It had been a while since he was here and he had kind of forgotten the exact location of the cave. Fortunately he had spotted it a mile off and was able to appease Sakura's anger somewhat.

When they finally reached land, they were both so exhausted that they just wanted to lie down and sleep. The beach inside the cave had welcomed them with soft sands. They lay upon it now gasping for air. Being soaked to the bone, they both shivered at the soft afternoon breeze that drifted in. Syaoran knew they needed a fire or they would become ill and would be in no state to fight any monsters. He got up, no matter how much his limbs protested and went to search for wood. Feeling drained, Sakura could do nothing but watch after him. The cave wasn't entirely dark. There were reflected beams of sunlight that came in through the entrance of the cave. From what she could see, the walls were smooth with erosion. When high tide comes, this cave would fill up to the brim with seawater. The extreme changes of environment made monsters here scarce. It made this cave lonely and desolate. She clasped her hands over her key-shaped pendant. It was her only friend here. If Prince Syaoran hadn't said that there was a way up to the palace from this place, she never would have gone here. It was too lonely. She shook her head, it is not a time to dwell on the past.

When Syaoran finally did come back, all he had was bits of driftwood that probably drifted all the way here from Payon. He placed them beside Sakura and decided to go in search of some flint or matchsticks, anything to light a fire with. As he was leaving, Sakura grabbed his sleeve. "Wait. I'll make the fire." Raising her hand, her palm facing the driftwood, she muttered, "Firebolt." At once, a crack of fire shot out from nowhere and struck the wood. It wasn't long before they had a wholesome fire.

"We should take off our clothes," remarked Syaoran, he was afraid that Sakura would catch pneumonia. But the words barely flew out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying and blushed. Sakura blushed at those words too.

"What are you talking about? There's no way I'll do that here and definitely not if you're here." She wished that her face would stop blushing.

"I won't look, I promise." He said meekly.

"Yes, that's what they all say." She was sarcastic. Their bickering didn't last very long since somebody had shown up. This person was none other than Jimmy, the young page. "Prince Syaoran, Lady Sakura." He said as he saluted them in the finest manner. Syaoran was more surprised at the fact that Jimmy knew where to find them.

"I followed you since this morning, sir." Jimmy said sheepishly. "I am forever your loyal servant. Please warm yourselves with these blankets." The blankets were regarded with much pleasure as they were both freezing from their soaked clothes. "Now if you'll both follow me, the ball is to start in a couple of hours. I'll take Lady Sakura to the woman's quarters where she can be washed and dressed to be ready for the ball and sir, I'll take you to the men's quarters so that you can do the same."

"A ball?" Syaoran and Jimmy exchanged looks. The ball had been such a matter of fact thing that they had forgotten to tell her. "I can't go to a ball. I need to go and save my homeland and my princess. There isn't any time left, there are so many preparations to be made!"

Syaoran took her hand and got on one knee. Looking in her eye, he asked, "Will you please accompany me to the ball? It would mean a lot to my father." Syaoran then shook his head. "Not just my father, but me as well." Seeing that Sakura was about to protest, he reminded her of their current status. "The scouts aren't back yet. We can't do anything until they do. Since waiting will just bring more worries, why not try to relax? If we relaxing now, we can fight to the best of our abilities when the time comes."

Unable to think of anything else that would possibly get her out of this situation, she nodded reluctantly. She then found herself being whisked away to the woman's quarters for a nice hot bath. The woman who prepared it for her was very nice; they had added some rose petals and some smelling salts into the bath. It felt better than any other bath she had before. It had not completely revived her spirits, but she could feel her energy flowing through her body. "This is an amazing bath!" she complimented the old woman. "Oh, yes, Lady Sakura. The formula for this bath has been passed down the palace for generations, only a selected few can draw this particular solution as well as I." She said proudly. "That's amazing! I wish you could teach me, then I could draw it for my princess at home." The old woman smiled at her warmly, "You have a good heart Lady Sakura, I would be proud to serve under you." Sakura blushed at the high compliment she was given and felt that this was a Kingdom that would indeed be very comfortable to live in. People here were always so nice, unlike where she came from.

"Did you have a good day today?" the old woman asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Sakura blushed. "It wasn't bad..." she answered slowly.

"I'm glad for you Lady Sakura, though I am an old woman, I pray that you will listen to me with your heart."

Seeing no reason to oppose, Sakura nodded.

"No matter what happens in the future, when you're in despair, lose hope or faith in the future or the people that you love, remember this, everything will be all right"

"Everything will be all right?" Sakura gave her a puzzled look. Although the woman was making no sense, Sakura knew that she was not joking by the seriousness in her features. Her hands however, had unconsciously started squeezing the beautiful pink pendant, closing her fingers around it tightly.

"Yes, my lady sorceress. Everything will be all right. It is a spell of sorts, old magic passed down in my family for generations and generations. It isnlt a normal spell, but it does take practice to master it. But I know you can do it. You are the very one Ilve been waiting for."

Not really understanding it at all, Sakura waited in silence for some clue that will enlighten her but none came. The old woman worked in silence after that and made no more attempt to speak. When she was leaving, she turned back at the door.

"Remember, you cannot save everyone." Then she left.

---

After the bath, the ladies at the palace had given her a very beautiful white dress. The lace and the sequins were so beautifully sewn on that Sakura refused wearing it at least twice before she was finally convinced that if she didn't put it on, they would all stab her with the needles they made this dress with. Once she put that on and her hair and makeup was just 'exactly right', the words of the palace makeup artist had said, she was shown to the ball a few minutes late.

When she entered, the grand hall looked even more grand and luxurious than before. The decorations were green and blue with specks of silver and gold. The beauty of the grand hall wasn't what made Sakura wish she was born here, but the atmosphere. It was happy and cosy, like being a part of a very big family. Everyone had been very nice to her.

Prince Syaoran standing beside the throne in his rightful place had spied Sakura the minute she walked in. As he watched her interactions with the people of the Kingdom, he saw her glowing with happiness. He was kind of jealous. Why did she have to show that look to everybody else except him? With that thought in mind, he left his place at his father's side and went down to find her. King Tristram was very happy to see his son finally find someone that he wanted. Sitting in his throne, he observed his son and the people of his Kingdom with interest. A lot of maidens have crowded around Syaoran once he left. It was amusing seeing his son turn the maidens down as civilly as he could. When Prince Syaoran finally got to Sakura, the King was so happy, he clapped his hands. The grand hall darkened in an instant and a spotlight rested on Sakura and Syaoran. Then the King announced that the first dance goes to Prince Syaoran and Lady Sakura of Geffen.

When Sakura heard that announcement, her face turned green. "Dance?" she whispered weakly. Prince Syaoran who didn't realize anything was wrong, replied jokingly, "Yes, dance, you don't know how to dance, Sakura?" She kept silent with her eyes staring at the ground and her cheeks burning hot. Finally understanding the situation, Syaoran laughed. "Don't worry, I'll lead you. You'll do fine." She shook her head. "I've never done this before." She attempted to leave but Prince Syaoran held on fast. "I won't let you leave until you dance this dance with me. He grinned. The music had started and their dancing has also begun. Sakura really was a bad dancer, not even half way through the song and she has at least tripped over her own toes about three times, tripped over her own dress once and stepped on Syaoran about five times. Through all of this, Prince Syaoran just couldn't stop laughing seeing her flustered face. Sakura could have died right then and there due to the embarrassment but Syaoran wouldn't let her. "Nobody notices that you've tripped or stepped on me, I've got you. You can lean on me, okay?" She looked up at him. A grin broke out over her face; this was the second time that he has told her to rely on him. She wondered if he was going to be the one to break the record.

They were just getting into the song when a couple of guests screamed. Instantly alert, the two to them scanned the grand hall for any suspicious persons. To their surprise, it wasn't a person that was causing the commotion but a monster. Prince Syaoran froze in his tracks. The large horns and goat like face was attached to a ten-foot torso. It stood on two extremely muscular legs while its hands held a very large hammer slung over its shoulder. "A baphomet? Here?" He was completely lost for words. A baphomet was the strongest monster in all of Midgard. It usually took over parties of twenty highly skilled people to take down, and even then they were cutting it close. They were at a ball and there were innocent lives at stake. The only people who were skilled in the hall was he and Sakura and there was no way they could take care of one by themselves.

The baphomet, seemingly disoriented at first, just stood there. It wasn't soon before it started swinging and crashing his hammer on the ground aimlessly, not caring what it hit. Syaoran stood frozen staring at the frightening scene before him, unable to believe that it was really happening. "Frost Diver!" called a voice behind him, and the ground started to shake. Large icicles punctured through the surface of the marble floor heading straight for the baphomet. Prince Syaoran looked behind him and sees Sakura with her hands facing the ground as if she was pouring all of her energy into that one shot. The baphomet froze. Taking this chance, Sakura charged up her most powerful spell, Jupitel Thunder. She bit her lip as she concentrated all of her energy to the spell but pain was overpowering her.

Don't fail me now, she thought.

Syaoran looked at her with admiration. When it comes to fighting, Sakura may be the better fighter, he thought as he took up his stance and waited for the spell. But before Sakura could cast it, the baphomet broke free. The icicles, which had covered him, flew in all directions with such force that it threw Sakura to the side of the hall. Hurt by the frost diver was, the baphomet was angry and aimed his hammer at an acolyte near his feet. Syaoran quickly ran over and dived to save her. Sakura thought quickly about what spell to use and the time it took to cast. There was no spell that would help here. She was not a priestess; most of her spells are offensive and for the ones that weren't, they would not be useful at all in situation like this. All she could do was watch as the hammer crashed on top of Syaoran.

She screamed. "No!"

At her scream, the baphomet dematerialized. Sakura quickly ran towards Syaoran. They had fortunately escaped into an already made hole by the hammer before. The acolyte had gotten off with a few scratches and bruises but Syaoran was seriously injured. The young acolyte had tried to heal her saviour with her powers, but she was too inexperienced. Nobody in the palace could heal him. The King sent the young acolyte to find others who think they can help while the guards moved the prince into a private room while they wait. Then the King sent the guests of the ball home, leaving a lonely and forlorn hall to greet him.

Sakura asked to accompany Syaoran to the room and was given permission by the King to stay by his side until help arrived. When they reached the room, Sakura dismissed all the guards and closed the doors.

---

AN: To crystal tears of betrayal: Thanks for the heads up on the anonymous reviews. Did not know that at all.

Sakura li 19: Your enthusiasm has definitely infected me! Thanks!


	5. A meeting

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters or names of the places and monsters. They are owned by Clamp and Gravity respectively.

AN: Crystal tears of betrayal: Hehe, yea I realize it was kind of fast. I'm no good at love scenes. Will try to scale it down a bit when I go over the chap again. And I realize that the name thing is confusing because they imply pairings, so I changed the names from E and S to SxS. Sorry bout that. Thanks again for the review.

**Chapter 5 - A meeting**

Eriol woke up sweating. Slowly, he reached for his forehead. Still boiling hot. This isn't good, he thought, as he lowered his hand. He looked at his clock. He had been out for nearly four hours. School must be over by now. Lying still in bed, he listened to the stillness of his house and the raindrops falling rhythmically on the roof. As he was about to drop off to sleep again, he heard a soft knock on the door.

Go away, he thought. I'm not going to answer.

Knock, knock 

I didn't hear that.

Eriol buried his head in his pillow, hoping that whoever it was, that they will just go away. But that was not to be.

Knock, knock, knock, knock 

The knocking got louder and it didn't seem like the person who was knocking would ever stop. Groaning, he stumbled out of bed, not forgetting to utter a string of profanities under his breath while he did. The loud noise was giving him a headache. Why can't they just leave a sick guy in peace?

He opened the door.

"Daidouji?" Of all the people in the world, Daidouji Tomoyo was the last person he expected to see on his doorstep.

"What are you doing here?"

This raven-haired girl with porcelain skin was the most popular girl in school. She was beautiful, her grades were the best and she was one of the nicest people in the school. She was perfect. Guys were always pining for her right and left. Crowds were always forming wherever she went so he never really got a chance to look at her. Not that he really cared before anyways but taking a good look at her close up, he realized he was in shock. Eriol now knew why they called her "the _Goddess_". The guys at school were right, he thought, she is stunning.

Tomoyo held up some pieces of paper.

"How are you feeling, Hiiragizawa? Your teacher wanted me to bring you your homework for today."

"But, why? You're not even in my class." This was definitely not normal.

Tomoyo shrugged nonchalantly. "I was in the staff room when they brought it up and I volunteered."

"But why?"

Tomoyo shrugged again not paying really paying any attention to Eriol. She was peering at the darkness behind him.

"Is nobody else home?"

Eriol was slightly taken aback. He didn't expect this question because he was still trying to figure out why she was here. Then a loud grumbling came from Eriol's stomach. Oh crap, he thought with his cheeks turning slightly pink. This is embarrassing. I've been so tired that I forgot to eat. It was obvious that Tomoyo had heard it too.

"If you don't mind, I can cook you something. I know that it's hard being sick alone, with no one to take care of you."

"Who said I was living alone?"

"Aren't you?"

"Well," Eriol hesitated. He really didn't want to tell this girl anything about him. Nosy girls just tick him off but he was in no mood to argue. Taking his silence as an affirmative, she nodded to herself and pushed her way past him.

"Hey..."

"Well, you gotta eat don't you? Just tell me where the kitchen is..." He gave her a skeptical look.

"I promise I'll leave once you're done eating." He continued to stare.

Tomoyo threw her hands up in frustration, "I will not burn your house to the ground! Stop looking at me like that!" She stared back at him indignantly, not willing to back down at all.

"Fine!" He muttered.

"Good! Now we have that settled, where is the kitchen?"

Eriol weakly pointed down the hallway. Tomoyo stomped her way into the kitchen but when she turned to look back, he had collapsed. Tomoyo ran back to help him. Unable to wake him, she had to drag him by the hands inside the house. She was not an athletic person. After a lot of grunting and groaning, she managed to get Eriol on the sofa in the living room. Or at least, she thought it was a living room. Panting, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, feeling thankful that his house wasn't any bigger. She was more thankful for the hardwood floors though, Eriol slid well through the hallway in his pajamas. She had almost dragged him into the wall, almost let him fall off the stairs to the basement and almost left him in the washroom because her arms were aching from all that exercise.

"I really should work out more." She said aloud, breaking the silence. It felt good. The house was a bit too gloomy for her taste.

"I agree." A weak voice behind her said. Tomoyo spun around.

"Hiiragizawa!" She ran to his side.

He groaned and rubbed his head. "My head hurts," he said glancing at her and caught her squirming.

"Did you let go of me on purpose?"

"What? No! My hands slipped! Honest!"

"Really? What about when you brought me to the kitchen, then the basement and then the washroom when the living room was the first door on the right?"

"You were awake through all that?" Tomoyo's eyes were wide with anger. "Then why didn't you get up and walk, idiot?"

Eriol grinned. "Cuz it was interesting to see you drag me everywhere."

"You-you..." Tomoyo scowled and was more than ready to punch him.

"Hey now, I'm sick, remember?" Eriol flashed her his carefree smile, the one that his fans swoon over. "Where's my grub?"

Scowling still, Tomoyo made her way to the kitchen. She didn't feel like doing any cooking now, her arms still feel like lead. Gingerly rubbing her sore arms, she surveyed the kitchen. It was an orderly kitchen with things being where they were supposed to be. The kitchen was separated into two parts by a counter top with white marble. The walls to the dining area were a light painted yellow and the actual cooking area was walled with white tiles making it look clean and spacious. Looking through all the cupboards, she took out what she needed, a pot, a bowl and a spoon. Then she put on an apron she found in one of those drawers, rolled up her sleeves and rummaged through the fridge where she found a lot of leftovers, KFC, McDonalds, Chinese takeout, day old pizza, opened can of tomatoes, dried out bread and so on. She wrinkled her nose. _Ew. Is this what he lives on?_ Yet, she found just enough to make a simple soup. She worked quickly and dexterously, separating the food into two piles, the _still edible_ pile and the _yuck, its gone green _pile. She threw some of the food from the _still edible_ pile into the pot and quickly threw the _yuck, its gone green_ pile in the garbage. She sighed.

Why am I even doing this for him? She wondered, while absentmindedly stirring the soup. It's not like I'm his mother or anything. Still Tomoyo felt obligated to do so.

_There is a chance that he may be the one._ It was that voice again, the one in the back of her head.

The one what? She retorted, the one who makes me so mad that I'd rather choke to death than listen to him again?

_You know that there is a very big chance that he's the one. _

Well, we'll see about that, thought Tomoyo.

_You never believe me._

Yea? And why do you think that is? Tomoyo rolled her eyes. When will he give me some peace and quiet?

_I heard that!_

"Oh just shut up and leave me alone!" An exasperated Tomoyo cried out.

"But I wasn't talking!"

Tomoyo froze at the sound of his voice. She turned and saw him leaning against the doorway, grinning. Crap, he must think I'm crazy now. She gulped.

"Um, I wasn't talking to you."

"Then who was it that you were talking to?" Eriol pretended to look around for an invisible stranger.

He's such an ass, she thought, that he really might be the one. She rolled her eyes. "I was uh, talking to uh, the soup. It was uh, boiling uh, too loudly." She stammered and went back to stirring her soup. Eriol could hardly contain his laughter at awkward manner. But he decided to let it slide. There were more important matters to attend to, like his growling stomach. So he walked weakly to the dining table and sat down.

"That means that the soup is ready, right?"

"Right." She said without turning around. Eriol took this opportunity to observe her. As to why, he did not know. Even though he felt like hell, he could see that there was something off about her.

_He's staring at you._

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. No, he isn't. Stop this right now. You're as bad as my mother. Lighten up, okay?

_You're like a sister to me. _

She sighed. I know and I am very glad to have you as my big brother, but that's why you need to trust me. I can do this.

_All right but he really is staring at you._ She could just imagine him crossing his arms, pouting like a child. She chuckled at the thought.

"You can stop staring at me now, Eriol." She said as she ladled the soup into a bowl.

Eriol's mouth hung open. How did she know that? Could it have been whatever it was she was talking to? It can see him? He recovered enough to reply but he was just so shocked that he couldn't stop staring at her. Tomoyo brought the steaming bowl of hot soup over to the table and set it down in front of him. Then she sat down in the chair across from him to make sure he eats.

"You can stop staring at me, you know." She said with a smirk on her face. Still unable to make any sense of the mystery before him, he tore his eyes away from her and decided to stare at the soup instead.

"What the? What kind of soup is this? Why is it bright red?"

"It's tomato chicken soup." Tomoyo said crossly.

"Where'd you get all the ingredients?"

"From inside your fridge."

"You made this from the food inside my fridge?" The look on Eriol's face was one of sheer horror. Tomoyo returned his look with one of her own, which said, eat or die.

"H-how?"

"From the can of opened tomatoes and the chicken from KFC. Oh, just try it will you?"

Eriol shuddered slightly as he reached for the spoon. He examined the bright red mass in front of him. It didn't smell bad; in fact it smelled quite good. It was the color that had turned him off. He closed his eyes as he put a spoonful of the stuff into his mouth. It was...quite good. He was surprised. He was about to tell her that when he spied something on her wrist. It was a pink, key shaped pendant.

Eriol lunged forward in his seat and made a grab for it but Tomoyo was quicker. She snatched it away from him and covered it from his view. Taken aback, Eriol mustered an apology. They sat in silence. He didn't dare meet Tomoyo's eyes because he could feel them burning a hole through him. She was angry but he didn't blame her at all. After all, he acted like a thief but he was curious.

"Where did you get that?"

"I don't believe that's any of your business."

"Can I see it?"

"No."

They lapsed into silence once more. He didn't know what came over him but he knew he needed it. It was somehow drawing him in. Eriol also knew that if he tried to explain it to her, she'd just laugh at him, or worse, try to kill him. He wouldn't put it past Miss Perfect here. The light in her eyes had darkened and she was beginning to scare him.

Suddenly, he sneezed. The cold was finally getting the better of him and he sneezed again. Feeling cold and hot at the same time, he shivered uncontrollably. It felt as though his bodily functions are shutting down one by one. Tomoyo seized with fear rushed to his side.

"Eriol. What's wrong?"

Unable to answer, all he could do was to look at her and plead with his eyes.

"Eriol-"

Gasping hard for air, he reached for her pendant. He clasped it tightly in his hands with a sigh of relief. The shivering has stopped.

"I've seen this before." He stammered, struggling with the words. Tomoyo believed him.

"I know." She said resignedly. "You've had a tiring day. Sleep. And when you wake up I'll tell you a story." Eriol, as tired as he was, saw the sadness that filled her eyes.

"They're lavender," he murmured before he finally fell asleep.

_I told you he's the one._

And you were right. Again. She thought resignedly. Tomoyo sighed as she looked at Hiiragizawa in her arms. She really didn't want to have to drag him all over his house again, her arms still ached from the last time. Tomoyo sighed again. This is gonna be a long night.


End file.
